**Premature NFL Team Breakdown Thread.**

[ClueLis]

I don't know how many football fans we have here, but I decided I'd give everyone a chance to break down their favorite teams as they start preseason play. I would rather this not turn into a flame war, but I have a feeling it inevitably will.

Being from the Boston area, the team I want to describe is obviously the Pats. So here I go, section by section:

Offense

Quarterback
Obviously, Brady's the lock here, so they didn't play him much, though I do like what Rohan Davy's been doing. He's massively strong if not mobile, and can hurl ball even with a guy hanging on him.

Wide reciever
Troy Brown seems to be in his usual good form, and while he's not especially tall or fast, he runs routes better than anyone else I've seen. I'm hoping that Deon Branch has a good year, as he has Brown's style. David Givens and Bethel Johnson on the other hand seem blazingly fast and will provide a good deep threat. The only thing we seem to be missing here is a tall reciever, although our plethora of tight ends will help.

Tight End
Christian Fauria had a good year last year in the red zone on a team that did poorly there, but I see this as a breakout year for Daniel Graham, who seems to be catching the ball better.

Running Back
Ok, this is the area that bothers me the most, as Antowain Smith had a bad year last year, and Cloud and Womak are out right now with injuries. Kevin Faulk has some nice skills, but at 5'10", 200 lbs, I don't think he can do well in goal-line situations. I like the addition of Larry Centers, as he will provide a nice out for Tom Brady under pressure.

Offensive Line
Another area of concern, with injury problems abound right now (though they held a Strahan-less Giants at least adaquately). Stai's a good player, but I'd rather Joe Andruzzi didn't have a knee injury right now. Adrian Klemm got beaten badly a couple times, which worries me a little.

Now for the fun part :

Defense

Defensive Line
These guys need to stop the run this year, as they were last in the league doing that last year. I think Ty Warren and the move of Richard Seymore to end are going to help a lot, as was demonstrated against the Giants (holding Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber to 9 and 10 yards, respectively). The pass rush was excellent, always making life difficult for the Giants' QBs. Dan Klecko is my player to watch. I don't know what position he'll play given his small size, but with his power and 2 1/2 sacks yesturday, they have to find something for him to do.

Linebackers
Probably the most improved part of the Pats with the addition of Roosevelt Colvin, and the switch to the 3-4 linup takes advantage of that. Colvin is an excellent pass rusher and holds his own on the outside rusher. Ted Johnson and Teddy Bruschi seem to be in good form, and so I have no worries here.

Backfield
Ty Law and Otis Smith didn't play, so it's hard to gage them in this one. We gave up some pass yards, but we also got some pickoffs. One concern is that we don't really have a free safety. Our starters are Harrison and Milloy, who are tough Strong safeties who love to smack the bejeezus out of opponents, but they don't specialize in coverage. This is the area where the departure of Tebuckey Jones hurts us.

Special Teams
Adam Vinatieri demonstrated what makes him one of the top FG kickers in the league, hitting four FGs (one for 49 yds), but kickoffs and coverage continue to be weaknesses. Adam doesn't kick off very far, and the coverage yesturday was less than stellar. They seem to be moving away from Troy Brown taking punts, and we'll have to see if that's a good idea.

Premature Prediction
This team definitely seems to be better than last year, but so is the rest of the AFC East. My guess is that they will go 10-6. Is that good enough to win the division? Hard to tell, with the Bills and Dolphins having had great offseasons. We'll see.

 

[ElFenix]

texans > cowboys

 

[ClueLis]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
texans > cowboys

How do you think the Texans' offense will do this year?

 

[ClueLis]

Gah! Nobody here likes football?

 

[Deeko]

texans > cowboys

You can shove that comment up your ass....no chance of the Texans beating the 'boys this year.

I'll do a rundown of the cowboys..

QB: Biggest controversy of the year. Carter or Hutchinson? I always liked Carter better, thought it was stupid when they benched him last year, and it seems Parcells agrees with me, as he is slightly favoring him.

RB: Troy Hambrick pretty much has this on lock, unless the Eagles get sick of this sh!t with Staley, I've heard that Dallas is hungry to pick him up if Phlly offers a trade

FB: Anderson is a good all around back, solid pickup this offseason

O-Line: Healthy finally, although Larry Allen is said to not be playing like himself. Rookie guard playing very well.

Tight End: A different TE for each situation. A blocker, a catcher, an all around guy.

WR: Galloway looking to finally prove his worth, Bryant coming on strong in his 2nd year, Terry Glenn a solid off-season pickup. Randall Williams playing very well for the 4th spot.

Defense

DT: La Roi Glover a sure thing for starters, youngin Willie Blade coming out of nowehre for the 2nd spot
DE: Ellis and Ekuban need to produce more sacks this year than in years past, finally healthy enough to do so
LB: Perrenial speedy LB's Nguyen and Coakley are both healthy and ready, replaced Kevin Hardy with Al Singlton, pretty even trade there.
Safetey: Darren Woodson is back, and a leader of the defense. Roy William's breakout year, hopinh for a probowl spot.
CB: 1st round pick Terrance Newman can't escape comparisons to Neon Deion. 2nd year CB Derek Ross playing well for the 2nd spot, with veterans Mario Edwards and Donald Mitchell playing well for nickel and slot situations.

Overall, a shored up defense and slightly improved offense, along with less injurues and the Big Tuna in town, look for a much improved team, and considering most of their losses last year were by less than a touchdown....don't overlook Dallas.

 

[DamageInc]

Damn, this might be tough, but here goes...

I'll be breaking down the Browns, my favorite team, and apparently the team with the most visited NFL website.

Offense
Quarterbacks
Obviously, there is a battle between Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb for the starting job. Couch has had a history of injuries, and hasn't yet lived up to his #1 draft pick status. Then again, he hasn't had a very good team. Couch will make over 6 million this year, while Holcomb makes a little over 1 million. Holcomb came in for Couch in the beginning of the season last year and did pretty well. In the game vs. the Ravens, he brought the Browns back from a 20+ point deficit, and nearly won the game, had his last pass been a little lower. Some fans hate Couch, and love Holcomb, and some hate Holcomb, and love Couch. We don't know who's going to start, but two heads are better than one, so if one goes down with an injury, the Browns have the luxury of an excellent back-up stepping up.

Running Backs
William Green broke out of his slump last year, and there is reason to believe that this year he will show what he can really do with the football. He will be the starter, and with his confidence up, and Jeff Faine blocking in the middle, some people are projecting 1200+ yards from the second year player from Boston College. His back-up, and 3rd down back is Jamel White, who could start for quite a few teams. Jamel reminds me of a slightly bigger Marshall Faulk. I'd hate to see this guy leave next year, but he'll no doubt make a dangerous weapon for whatever lucky team signs him. He catches passes and eludes defenders, and is very quick. He also returns kicks. James Jackson is the 3rd string running back, and he's not that good, in my opinion. Still, he is a decent back-up.

Wide Receivers
The Browns might have the deepest wide receiving corps in the league. While they don't have a Terrell Owens or Randy Moss on their team, they have 4 very very good receivers. Quincy Morgan has the size and big-play ability to be a #1 receiver, and he's quickly emerging as that for the Browns. Kevin Johnson is a classic possession receiver and makes some terriffic catches. Dennis Northcutt is an unbelievable special teams player, and makes crazy plays. Andre Davis is a second year player who had a good first half last year. Undrafted rookie CJ Jones is a player to look out for this year, as he's impressing everyone in camp.

Tight Ends
Here we'll have 3 of the following...
Aaron Shea, Darnell Sanders, Steve Heiden, and Chad Mustard.
The size of all the TEs makes them like mini linemen, which is good, because the line could use some help. Steve Heiden will likely be the #1 TE, and look for a solid year out of him. Chad Mustard, if he makes the team and makes some big plays, could be a favorite among fans because of his name.

Offensive Line
Hmm... Well, we have Ross Verba, a pretty decent veteran LT; Melvin Fowler, a second-year LG; Jeff Faine, the rookie center from Notre Dame, Shaun O'Hara, a RG; and Ryan Tucker, a veteran RT. The line has a couple new faces, in Fowler and Faine. Faine was chosen in the first round of the draft, and has the hopes of the entire offense on his shoulders. He has the tools to be a top center in the league, and he's mean, as well. The rest of the line isn't the best, but hopefully they'll get the job done. There are some enormous backups lurking and hoping to steal someone's job, too.

Defense
Defensive Line
We have 1st round draft picks Gerrard Warren and Courtney Brown, who haven't lived up to their potential, like Couch. These two need to stay healthy and step up their play if the Browns want to compete defensively. Otherwise, it'll be up to the young LBs and DBs to hold the opposing offense out of the endzone. The pass rush was dismal last year - so this unit is crucial to the Browns' success. Also on the line, we have Alvin McKinley, Mark Word, Kenard Lang, Orpheus Roye, and a few others.

Linebackers
Everyone thinks the Browns were stupid for getting rid of all their starting linebackers last year, but how can you call a team stupid for getting rid of Dwayne Rudd? Earl Holmes was old and slow, Jamir Miller tore his achilles tendon, and Darren Hambrick doesn't have a job. Seriously, anyone who followed the Browns last year knows that their linebackers were essentially worthless. We had a defensive coordinator who preached the "sit back and wait for them to come to you" philosophy of defense. Now Dave Campo has been brought in as the defensive coordinator, and we now have a new philosophy. Look for more blitzes and stunts from the Browns this year, as we now have younger, faster linebackers. So now we have former Eagle Barry Gardner, who didn't do much for the Eagles, but I hear is doing well in camp; 2nd year players Ben Taylor and Kevin Bentley, who will be starting for the first time; Andra Davis and Brant Boyer, the backup MLBs; and Chaun Thompson, who is said to be a little raw at the moment, but has a ton of ability. Definitely not a position of strength, but they're learning.

Defensive Backs
The Browns have a bunch of youth in the defensive backfield. The 3 main CBs are Daylon McCutcheon, Anthony Henry, and Lewis Sanders. Anthony Henry had an awesome rookie year with a lot of interceptions, but last year didn't do that well. We also have Safetys Earl Little and Robert Griffith, who will hopefully play better this year after a crappy year last year. After that, it's a bunch of rookies and kids without a lot of experience, such as Chris Crocker, Michael Jameson, Michael Lehan, and more rookies.

Special Teams
Phil Dawson has been reported to have added a little more power in his kicks, which is good, because he wasn't very powerful to begin with.

Chris Gardocki still has the longest streak of punts without a block, and hopefully it will continue with rookie long-snapper Ryan Pointbriand taking over for another Ryan who went to the Giants.

Returning Kicks will probably be Andre Davis, Quincy Morgan, Jamel White and CJ Jones, and returining the punts will likely be Northcutt and Andre Davis.

Well, that's about it (finally).

I want to see some more team reports posted, people.

 

[wyvrn]

I will do my opinion of the Cowboys also:

Offense


Quarterback

Carter and Hutchinson are both unproven but have talent. Carter is much better passer of the two on the move, and he might need to be if the offensive line doesn't improve from last year. He has the talent to compete in the NFL, but has a tendency to make too many mistakes. This could be a big year for him. Hutchinson has a lot of rust and hasn't displayed much of a pocket presence. He does not move well, but has a cannon of an arm and a pretty good college pedigree. Might need another year of playing before he shows what he has. Neither QB has proven himself yet, but both have potential.

C+

Running Back

Hambrick wanted to be the man, and now he has his chance. Has gotten in shape now that Parcells is in town, and needs to show discipline or he will get benched. Has good size and speed, but not the vision of the great ones. Could be a 1100 yard rusher but not likely a franchise back. Wiley and Cason are undersized but good on third downs and as a change of pace. Reshard Lee is another big back with good speed and showed some moves in the scrimmage against the Texans last week. He might be a better backup back than either Cason or Wiley.

B-

Offensive Line

Larry Allen is coming off a frustrating two seasons filled with injuries and scheme changes. Now that Dallas is going back to a man blocking scheme, look for Allen to return to form as a pro-bowl quality guard. Allen has too much talent and is not old enough to be washed up yet, he has at least 3 good seasons left in him. RT Ryan Young was brought over from the Texans to solidify the right side of the line since the departure of Solomon Page, who never lived up to his potential. Young is coming off an injury year and could be another pro-bowl calibre player. The other three positions have question marks. LT Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is a second round draft pick who has not played consistently enough to earn a pro-bowl spot, but he has shown flashes. Parcells has picked him as a pet project, and if he can get Adams to perform on a regular basis this would be a huge boost to a line that allowed way too many sacks last season. Second round draft pick Al Johnson is lost this season to knee surgery, so the center position will be manned by two capable, but not spectacular, veterans. If nothing else, they will add stability to a line what was injury ravaged and inconsistent last year. RG Andre Gurode played out of position last year, and with another full training camp under his belt should prove to be a solid player this year. In a couple of seasons, Gurode could supplant Allen as the best guard on the team.

B+

Wide Recievers

Joey Galloway has not lived up to his billing since coming over from Seattle a few seasons ago, mostly due to injuries. Last year even with bad QB play, Galloway had his best season since coming to Dallas. If either QB works out this season, Galloway could be in for a big year of 80+ catches and 1200 yards. Antonio Bryant showed flashes in his rookie season of being a big play receiver, but Parcells has been riding him hard because of his attitude. If Bryant can control his emotions, he can be the best receiver we have had in Dallas since Michael Irvin. This is Bryant's year to prove himself. Terry Glenn is a Parcell's favorite and posted solid numbers last year with Green Bay. Look for him to challenge for a starting spot and at the least make the WR corps very deep in Dallas.

A

Tight Ends

Third round pick Jason Whitten has first round potential. He should win the starting job by midseason and catch 40 balls. If he works out, Dallas could finally have a replacement for the long departed Jay Novacek. Dan Campbell is a monstrous blocker and caught two pre-season touchdowns in his first game. He instantly upgrades the Boys TE crew. Whalen is an H-back with the best hands on the team, and could emerge as a slot or third down option. Tony McGee is an all-around TE who can make the big catch and block opposing LB's. If the team keeps 4 TE's, McGee adds very solid depth to the TE position.

A


Defense

Defensive Line

Ellis and Glover are very good players. Ellis plays the run and pass equally well and led the Cowboys in sacks last year. Glover is a pro-bowl tackle whose specialty is splitting double teams and creating havoc in the backfield. Ebenezer Ekuban is a former first-round pick who is undersized but very fast and strong. He admittedly relied too much on his outside moves last year, and has comitted to improving his pass rush. He is a solid run defender despite his size and this is a make or break year for him because of his draft position. The Cowboys still expect big things from him. Willie Blade is emerging as an inside presence the likes of Russel Maryland. He is big enough to plug holes and quick enough to rush the passer from the inside. John Nix is a solid run stopper at 315 pounds and Michael Myers is a capable tackle who relies on quickness and technique.

B

Linebackers

This is perhaps the deepest unit on the team. Led by Dat Nguyen at MLB and Dexter Coakley at WLB, the backers are small but very quick and active. Both penetrate holes well and swallow opposing running backs, and both cover receivers out of the backfield well due to their speed. Looking to upgrade the size here, Parcells signed free agent Al Singleton from the Tampa Bay Bucks. Singleton is 6'2" and also plays the speed game. Dallas will have perhaps the quickest set of linebackers in the NFC. Backing them up are Markus Steele, whom Parcells called an enigma for his inconsistent play. He has started several games and is a reliable 4th linebacker. Jamal Brooks is a special teams standout and is learning how to play MLB in the pros. Bradie James is a very solid 4th round draft pick whose potential could move him into the starting lineup by next season.

B+

Secondary

While linebacker is perhaps the deepest position on the Cowboys, the secondary is the most talented, if a bit raw. Daren Woodson returns for yet another stellar campaign, a converted college linebacker that hits hard and takes names later. Woodson also has the speed to cover the slot receiver in nickel situations, and is the QB of the defensive backfield. Roy Williams, last year's first round pick, played at a pro-bowl level in his rookie year and seeks to improve upon that performance in 2003. Derek Ross had 5 interceptions last year as a rookie, but needs to work on his technique. Parcells told Ross that if he met a better street player, then he was going to lose. Ross will only get better with experience. The big hoohaa this year is on first round pick Terrence Newman, the best CB in the draft. He has the speed and attitude to be one of the greats, but needs to adjust to the speed and complexity of the pro game in his first season. Many pro-bowls are in his future. Backups Mario Edwards, who was a solid starter last year, Pete Hunter who combines nice speed and size, and Tony Dixon add needed depth to the secondary. Hunter has huge potential and could fill Woodson's FS position in a couple of years. Dixon is another enigmatic player who has yet to prove he is starter material being a second round pick, but he is a solid backup. Edwards could start for many teams and his veteran presence should help settle young Ross and Newman.

A-

Special Teams

Hooray for Toby Gowin! We are glad to have a legitimate pro punter back in Dallas after Filip Filipovic's sorry year last year. The field goal kicker is shaky with Billy Cundiff and needs improvement. Jeff Robinson was signed to deep snap and is a huge upgrade. We should sign him to a ten year contract because of the importance of the snapper and his excellent track record. Dantzler is a spectacular returner who can change the outcome of a game.

B+

Premature Prediction

Cowboys improve with Parcells stressing discipline and preparation. This season is highly dependent on QB play, and since neither of the starters has a long track record, look for another up and down but enjoyable season. Cowboys improve to 6-10 only because of the third hardest schedule in football, and by seasons end we will know if either Hutchinson or Carter is NFL starter material. The rest of the team is very solid and Cowboys fans have a lot to be happy about.

 

[KhoiFather]

Deuce Staley is a fu*king retard, what the hell is doing? Waiting for the season after this one? Geesh!

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Deeko

texans > cowboys

You can shove that comment up your ass....no chance of the Texans beating the 'boys this year.

i'm sure they thought that last year too

 

[wyvrn]

Well the Cowboys first unit kicked the snot out of the Texans the other night, so I think we know who is going to be the better team this year

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Deeko

texans > cowboys

You can shove that comment up your ass....no chance of the Texans beating the 'boys this year.

i'm sure they thought that last year too

 

[pyonir]

Elfenix is a premature ejaculator...does that count?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: wyvrn
Well the Cowboys first unit kicked the snot out of the Texans the other night, so I think we know who is going to be the better team this year

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Deeko

texans > cowboys

You can shove that comment up your ass....no chance of the Texans beating the 'boys this year.

i'm sure they thought that last year too

ah, preseason football... who did best last preseason? oh, right, the washington redskins, who didn't bother to show up to the playoffs.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: pyonir
Elfenix is a premature ejaculator...does that count?

lies lies, all of it lies!

 

[GoingUp]

yawn...

college football >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> pro football

 

[schizoid]

I think the Bills are going to win the super bowl. Their team is STOCKED with talent. First off, QB BILLS completes almost every pass, especially if it's to Andre Reed. And THOMAS, while not the fastest back in the game, can get at least 6 yards, unless the play is picked. MUELLER, the fullback, usually throws three guys off him before he's brought down. On Defense, BENNET and SMITH are all top-notch. In the defensive backfield, they have ODOMS, who can cover a lot of ground, and usually will get at least one pick per game.

So, given all of that, I predict the Super Bowl to be: Bills 56, 49ers 14

 

[murphy55d]

I got my Steelers.


Offense

Quarterback
Tommy Maddox is obviously a lock as the starter on opening day, and hopefully can prove that last year was not a fluke. Really, the anti-Kordell Stewart... no mobility, weaker arm, but better pocket awareness and accuracy. Fearless as well, not afraid to put the ball into tight areas. If anything should happen, Charlie Batch is a capable backup, and rookie Brian St.Pierre has looked good in training camp.

Wide reciever
Easily our deepest position after linebacker. Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress were the #1 receiving tandem in the NFL last season, both having over 1,300 yards. Ward catches anything thrown at him and Burress has such immense size and deceptive speed that it is tough for CBs to match up with him. Great run blockers as well. Throw in Antwaan Randle El who is one of the most exciting players in football, and it's a heck of a 3some at WR. Lee Mays comes in at the #4 spot, an up and coming solid receiver.

Tight End
Usually a quiet position in Pittsburgh, we brought in Jay Riemersma to catch some passes at the TE spot. Very little blocking ability. On the flipside, Mark Bruener, the incumbant starter, isn't known for his pass catching, but is arguably the best blocking TE in the NFL.

Running Back
Jerome Bettis, Amos Zereoue, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'Afala. Power, power and more power. (and a little shiftyness from Famous Amos ) Amos and the Bus will likely split time, unless one of the two TAKES the starting job from the other. Great depth, but Bettis is not the force he once was, so there is no dominant #1 back.

Offensive Line
Should be a good group... Alan Faneca is among the top guards in the NFL, Jeff Hartings is a very good center, although has some knee issues. Kendall Simmons, a rookie last year, took great strides and should anchor the right side for a number of years. The question marks are at the tackle positions, Marvel Smith, a former 2nd round pick, is moving from RT to LT after the loss of Wayne Gandy. He played LT in college, but has yet to play there in the NFL. RT is an open competiton between Oliver Ross and former Jaguar Todd Fordham.


Defense

Defensive Line
Anchored by 2nd year nose tackle Casey Hampton, these guys stop the run as well as anyone in the league. Not the pass rush specialists like most teams, they are the base for the 3-4 defense. Aaron Smith does provide some sacks, though.

Linebackers
The best LB group in the NFL. Jason Gildon and Joey Porter are lethal from the outside, James Farrior and Kendrell Bell hold it down inside. Bell is turning into one of the best LBers in the NFL.

Backfield
Definitely the biggest area for concern. Torched last year, we moved up in the first round for the first time in team history to select Troy Polamalu, a safety from USC. Looks to be the opening day starter now. Corners Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott are both talented, but inconsistant. Mike Logan, Brent Alexander and Chris Hope will be fighting for the other safety spot. Deshea Townsend is one of th ebetter nickel CBs in the league.

Special Teams
Rookie kicker Jeff reed took over for the hapless Todd peterson last year, and was lights out. Josh Miller is a quality punter. Returning kicks and punts is the electric Antwaan Randle El. Lee Mays is the 2nd man on kick returns. Special team COVERAGE is a major concern... gave up too many big plays last year.

Premature Prediction
11-5, winning the AFC North and at least 1 playoff game. Could easily represent the AFC in the super bowl, if Maddox and the secondary hold up.

 

[The Sauce]

Originally posted by: schizoid
I think the Bills are going to win the super bowl. Their team is STOCKED with talent. First off, QB BILLS completes almost every pass, especially if it's to Andre Reed. And THOMAS, while not the fastest back in the game, can get at least 6 yards, unless the play is picked. MUELLER, the fullback, usually throws three guys off him before he's brought down. On Defense, BENNET and SMITH are all top-notch. In the defensive backfield, they have ODOMS, who can cover a lot of ground, and usually will get at least one pick per game.

So, given all of that, I predict the Super Bowl to be: Bills 56, 49ers 14

I predict the Jets will spank the bills both games this year again and the bills will not make the playoffs. Their talent doesn't matter. They are just cursed.

 

[Broohaha]

i would do my skins..... but i havent been keeping up

nice thread tho. good resurrection material for upcoming sundays.

 

[ClueLis]

Originally posted by: schizoid
I think the Bills are going to win the super bowl. Their team is STOCKED with talent. First off, QB BILLS completes almost every pass, especially if it's to Andre Reed. And THOMAS, while not the fastest back in the game, can get at least 6 yards, unless the play is picked. MUELLER, the fullback, usually throws three guys off him before he's brought down. On Defense, BENNET and SMITH are all top-notch. In the defensive backfield, they have ODOMS, who can cover a lot of ground, and usually will get at least one pick per game.

So, given all of that, I predict the Super Bowl to be: Bills 56, 49ers 14

The Bills do look like a very good team, but I see a few issues:

Belichick is inside Bledsoe's head, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Bledsoe holds onto the ball too long, leading to a lot of sacks.
The losses of Price and Centers are really going to hurt the Bills' passing game.
I haven't seen their revamped D, so I don't know how much better they are.

I don't disagree that they have a good shot at winning the east, but Super Bowl might be a stretch.

 

[venk]

The Lions play their first game in one and a half hours, i'll tell you then. :beer: :beer: :beer:

 

[wyvrn]

First unit versus first unit, the Cowboys beat up the Texans. I don't care if it's pre-season, any time one team's best clobbers the other's teams best it counts. I don't care about second and third teamers either, which is why preseason games don't count in the standings. But I think it's a good indication of what is to come this year for both teams. I will be here at the end of the season when the Cowboys are markedly better than the Texans.

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: wyvrn
Well the Cowboys first unit kicked the snot out of the Texans the other night, so I think we know who is going to be the better team this year

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Deeko

texans > cowboys

You can shove that comment up your ass....no chance of the Texans beating the 'boys this year.

i'm sure they thought that last year too

ah, preseason football... who did best last preseason? oh, right, the washington redskins, who didn't bother to show up to the playoffs.

 

[PunDogg]

I have to go with the steelers, with Tommy "Gun" Maddox getting his first full season to gun it, with prob the best core of WR's int he league, and with 2-3 experienced running backs, the only thing to hold the steelers back is there O line,

Defense they have sured up their weakest point, Def. back, there D line and Linebackers are awesome, i think they can make it to the super bowl

Any one else here for the PITTSBURGH STEELERS BOO YEAH

Dogg

 

[jaydee]

New York Jets:

QB:
Chad Pennington was the top rated passer and had the highest completion percentage among all NFL QB's last season. He is real. Won't devastate you with the long-ball, but he can sure spread it out, and did have several 300-yard games. The ball simply gets to where it needs to be.

WR:
Ok, we lost Coles. Moss has the talent to take his place though, just has to stay healthy. Conway will be adequate, and Chrebet is always consistant, though not spectacular, and one of the top 3rd down guys in the leauge still.

RB:
Curtis Martin is still top notch and Lamont Jordan is good enough to be a starter on a lot of teams.

OL:
Still a solid unit after Randy Thomas left. Mawae is a Pro-Bowl lock year after year at center, and the other guys are above average.

TE:
Anthony Becht: average blocker, average reciever, should improve.

DL:
A good unit basically traded Josh Evans for the best defensive player in the draft in Dewayne Robertson. I look for big things from this unit. John Abrahams in his 3rd last season made his second straight Pro-Bowl start. Shaun Ellis is improving on the other end, and Jason Ferguson can more than hold his own against the run on the inside. Not a lot of depth here though, especially with Evans gone for the season probably. No one better get hurt.

LB:
Sam Cowart is one of the best in the game at MLB, Mo Lewis and Marvin Jones are still above average on the outside. Not too much depth, but the Jets did grab Victor Hobson out of Michigan in the 2nd round, so we'l see how he develops. Last year's 1st rouder Bryan Thomas needs to step up.

DB:
Not a lot of big turnovers, but a steady group of veterans that can follow the great schemes drawn up by Cotrell and Edwards.


Special Teams:
Hall was a loser anyway, incredibly inconsistant, but he could boot it a long ways. The jury is still out on the new guy. Dan Stryzinski is an excellent punter. Santana Moss for punt returns is one of the most explosive guys in the league. Ok so Chad Morton is gone, but I'm sure the Jets can scrape something up, afterall Morton came out of nowhere last year.


Prediction:
12-4/11-5, AFC East champs, and a run at the Super Bowl. We can always beat the Dolphins, swept the Bills last year and Belicheck doesn't intimidate this team. People seem to forget that the Jets were regarded by most as the 2nd best team in the AFC at the end of last year, and the losses to the Deadskins weren't as dramatic as lot make it out to be. Looking for big things out of the gang green this year.

J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!

 

[The Sauce]

Jaydee, WE LOST COLES?!?! When...how...why oh why?@!#$^

 

[ClueLis]

Originally posted by: Snatchface
Jaydee, WE LOST COLES?!?! When...how...why oh why?@!#$^

Coles and a number of other guys fled to the Redskins. The Redskins single-handedly ruined what otherwise would have been a great offseason for the Jets.